TT Wine Explorer Podcast

This is a “postcard” episode for foodies. Tania joins Graham MacLennan on his Cheftimony podcast to swap  tales and tips from their recent food adventures in the Arts District, Las Vegas and Zarautz, Northern Spain: two very different destinations! First, Tania dives into bites, sips and walks around the up and coming “Arts District” neighbourhood of Las Vegas. Beyond the famous Vegas Strip, the A...

This episode is about creating a new space and redefining a drinking experience without alcohol. Tania is joined by Angela Hansen, founder and owner of Mocktails Alcoholic Free Liquor Store (Vancouver’s premier alcohol-free bottle shop) to discuss: How Angela’s store came to be. How she has created a beautiful, dedicated space which alcohol-free drinks deserve. Making interesting, non-alcoholic dr...

This episode is about disruption and just getting out there and doing it - whatever that “it” is for you. Wineprenuer (and self-described “anarcho-libertarian”) Laura Milnes (@crushablewineclub) joins Tania to discuss: • Laura’s “Pan-Canadian” online wine club “Crushable” and mission to introduce us to “under the radar” wines made by very small producers from across the country. • How we can, and...

This episode is about wine, tariffs and trade relations. Public policy expert and business commentator on the Canadian wine industry, Karen Graham (KMG Strategy and www.winedrops.ca) joins Tania to discuss: • How tariffs levied by the United States on Canadian goods may affect the wine and alcohol beverage industry and consumers (both in Canada and the US). • Potential knock-on effects of counter-...

This episode takes us “front of house” with Josh Carlson, Wine Director of Provence Marinaside in Vancouver, British Columbia. During this wide-ranging conversation, Josh and Tania discuss: • Josh’s path into the restaurant and wine world, and how he has built Provence’s deep cellar and one of Vancouver’s longest “by the glass” wine lists. • The relationship between restaurant and patron, and stri...

This “roundup” episode is about the key BC Wine Industry news stories from 2024 - from a legal perspective. It’s a “101” on certain rules and regulations which govern how we make, market, sell, buy or taste wine here in British Columbia - and how these rules operate as the wine industry navigates serious challenges not only around farming, but also running a business in the current economic climat...

This episode is about the anti-alcohol movement and efforts by certain advocacy groups who claim that there is “No Safe Amount” of alcohol which we can enjoy. There’s been increased discussion in the news and health publications recently about the risks of drinking alcohol, and how we shouldn’t drink more than two alcoholic drinks PER WEEK (despite current recommended guidelines which suggest no m...

This episode is about the trending NOLO space - the world of “non-alc” and “low- alc” drinks. Returning guest Graham MacLennan (creator and producer of the Cheftimony Podcast) joins Tania to discuss their respective explorations in the NOLO world, and to share their observations about what’s working (and not working) in the non-alc and low-alc landscape. What’s driving the expansion of the “no” an...

In this episode, we return to Tania’s native British Columbia to discuss how, in the wake of significant crop losses due to extreme winter freeze in January 2024, many “land based” wineries here are importing grapes or juice from Washington State, Oregon, California or Ontario to produce wine this year. Wine is about farming, viticulture, Mother Nature, art and science - but it’s also about busine...

This episode is a flight to Napa Valley. It’s about bucking the status quo, and how the past can help move us forward. Tania’s guest is Billy Davies, a California wine industry “lifer” who grew up at renowned American sparkling wine house Schramsberg Vineyards (which Billy’s parents took over in 1965). Billy has been part of that historic place from the ground up - from getting his hands dirty pic...

In this episode of the TT Wine Explorer Podcast, we delve into the world where art meets wine. Tania chats with Lara Tomaszewska, an expert fine art consultant, appraiser and founder of ArtRow (an online digital art marketplace). Together, Tania and Lara explore how art and wine can serve as powerful vehicles to the world of the senses, transporting us to different places and moments - and how thi...

This episode is a case study of how the owners of a very small winery (in a very small wine region) are blending their large multi-national corporate expertise with a winemaking hobby “run amok” to produce small lot, artisanal wines which reflect unique terroir of British Columbia’s spectacular Pacific West Coast. Tania’s guest, Julie Powell, is co-owner of Alderlea Vineyards, located in Vancouver...

Tania goes to Vegas and lives to tell. If you don’t gamble, don’t go to shows, and don’t visit “Celebrity Chef” restaurants, what on earth does one do in Sin City? Well A LOT as it turns out. In this “Side Bar” episode, Tania chats with returning guest Graham MacLennan (creator and producer of the Cheftimony Podcast) about Tania’s recent trip to Las Vegas, and her experience of that crazy place th...

This episode is about starting and growing a premium “brick-and-mortar” retail wine shop business in a small and highly regulated market. Tania’s guest, John Clerides, is the founder and owner of Marquis Wine Cellars, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Established more than 30 years ago, Marquis is one of British Columbia’s pre-eminent private bottle shops and offers local consumers more than...

This episode is a flight to both Spain and London for a discussion about how, when we look to the future of wine, we can draw from the past. Tania’s guest, Beth Willard, is a contributing writer to Decanter Magazine (one of the world’s leading wine publications) and Co-Chair Judge of this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. An Aussie who jumps between London and Spain, Beth has particular expertise...

Can wine bring growth to your portfolio? How does wine express itself in the world of digital assets? Tania’s guest, Dr Sara Adami-Johnson (Vice President, HNW Planning Services, RBC Family Office Services) is an international estate, art and digital legacy planner. In addition to being a lawyer and trusts and estates practitioner, Sara also has a PhD in International Business and art advisory exp...

This episode is about the flow (or actually, the blockage) of Canadian wine within our own borders, and why our home-grown and locally-made wines face internal trade barriers within our federation. Why does it feel easier for Canadians to buy wine from almost anywhere else in the world other than from our own neighbouring provinces? Mark Hicken returns to continue the discussion from Episode 4 (Th...

This episode is a return flight to the Okanagan Valley at a time when this largest wine-producing region of British Columbia faces acute challenges, and as wine producers there grapple with how best to weather the storm and move towards long-term business sustainability. Tania’s guest is John Skinner, proprietor of Painted Rock Estate Winery. Since opening in 2009, Painted Rock has developed a str...

This episode is about the transformative power of travel and curiosity and immersing ourselves in the world of the senses. It’s about “grounding” our feet in nature, connecting through shared adventure and clinking glasses while we’re at it. Maple Leaf Adventures is an award-winning, small ship eco-tourism company which leads unique expeditions on the wild coasts of British Columbia and Alaska, in...

A highly accomplished marketing expert and original founder of award-winning Liquidity Wines (Okanagan Falls, British Columbia), Tania’s guest Ian MacDonald shares his story about building a new winery from the ground up. Under Ian’s leadership, Liquidity Wines transformed an insolvent vineyard site into a premium winery brand and world class integrated wine travel destination before being purchas...

Tania discusses “down shifting” with returning guest Graham MacLennan, a fellow lawyer, Chef and host of his Cheftimony Podcast. In this “Side Bar” episode, Tania and Graham discuss food and wine exploring on Sardinia, one of the world’s “blue zones” known for the longevity of its inhabitants. As Graham learned and observed during his recent trip, making pasta, eating well and enjoying wine are al...

Join Tania for her discussion with Grant Stanley, “pinot noir pioneer journeyman” and winemaker at SpearHead Winery, Wine Align’s 2022 Best Performing Small Winery in Canada (www.spearheadwinery.com). Tania and Grant discuss his journey of becoming a Pinot Noir specialist, some of the building blocks of winemaking, and how “heartbreak grape” Pinot Noir can work in British Columbia - a region situa...

Join Tania for her discussion with Mark Hicken, a leading liquor policy expert, former “wine lawyer” and Executive Director of the Canadian Association for Responsible Drinkers (www.cafrd.ca). Tania and Mark consider the legacy of North America’s early 20th century Prohibition Era as it relates to the complex myriad of rules and regulations governing how we make, sell, purchase, taste and experien...

Join Tania for her discussion with VJ Gandhi, founder of Kascadia Wine Merchants and a Canadian now living and building a business in Northern California. Tania and VJ talk about what it’s like to introduce British Columbia wines to US consumers, from starting the process to pitching the product (and everything in between). Wine is largely about geography, and this is an example of how wine connec...

Join Tania for her discussion with “Vegas geek” Graham MacLennan, a practising lawyer, Chef and host of the Cheftimony Podcast. Tania and Graham talk about what drives the Vegas food scene, including some current Vegas foodie spots, both “on” and “off” strip. Of course, where there’s food, there’s wine and Sin City is no exception. Hear how “everything wine” is on offer in Vegas (and how Las Vegas...